Design drawing device



Oct. 27, 1970 J, QPPENHEIM 3,535,791

DESIGN DRAWING DEVICE Filed MBI'OII 26, 1968 United States Patent Oifice 3,535,791 Patented Oct. 27, 1970 3,535,791 DESIGN DRAWING DEVICE Michael J. Oppenheim, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Kenner Products Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 716,087 Int. Cl. B43] 9/00 US. Cl. 3327 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A design drawing device particularly adapted for use by children comprising, in combination and in preferred form, (a) a frame defining a substantially square window, and (b) a flat bar of a length less than the length of one window side, the bar being provided with a number of holes along its length for accommodating a scribing instrument. With the scribing instrument operably positioned in a selected hole in the bar, the bar may be pivoted from corner to corner within the window frame to establish a design on paper positioned beneath the window.

This invention relates to design drawing devices.

The design drawing device of this invention is particularly adapted for use by children, most particularly those children in the age group of from about three to about seven years of age. Children of that age group may quickly and easily produce pleasing designs or patterns upon a suitable drawing surface, for example, paper, with the design drawing device of this invention.

The design drawing device of this invention comprises, in preferred form, a frame defining a substantially rectangular window opening. In combination with the frame, there is provided a bar of a length less than the length of one window side. A number of pencil holes are provided along the bar's length. In use, a pencil or other scribing instrument is positioned within one of the holes of the bar. The bar is then pivoted about a corner of the window using the pencil both as the drawing means for marking a curved line on paper beneath the frame opening and as the motive means for aifecting pivotal movement of the bar. This novel combination of a bar pivotable within a rectangular window opening enables a young child to inscribe a series of different dimensioned designs and, thereby, create an overall design pattern that is aesthetically pleasing. The drawing device is simple to understand and to use, and its use by a child serves both to amuse and to educate.

Thus, the primary objective of this invention has been to proivde a design drawing device that is particularly adapted for use by children of a relatively young age.

Other objectives and advantages of this invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the design drawing device of this invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates in solid lines a design drawn with the design drawing device of this invention and in phantom lines a few of the additional designs which may be drawn;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the design drawing device illustrating operation of the device; and

FIGS. 4-7 are similar to FIG. 3 and illustrate the operational steps in scribing the design shown in solid lines of FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the design drawing device of this invention includes a frame having a window 11 opening therein. The window 11 is polygonal in configuration. In the preferred embodiment the frame 10 is provided with a window 11 having a square configuration. The frame 10 is connected by hinges, not shown, to a base or support plate 12. It will be noted that the base plate 12 provides spaced depressions 13 for receiving tits 14 depending from the underside of the frame. Cooperation of the tits 14 with the depressions 13, when the frame 10 and base plate 12 are pressed together, aids in preventing undesirable movement of a sheet 15 of paper that is inserted between the frame 10 and the base plate 12 during operation of the design drawing device, see FIG. 1. The sheet 15 of paper, in this preferred embodiment, provides the surface on which the final design is drawn.

A bar 18 of a length not greater than the length of one window side is provided to cooperate with the window opening 11. The bar 18 has a series of spaced holes 19 punched through it, the holes being symmetrically spaced relative to the ends of the bar. The holes 19 are sized to receive the stylus of a scribing instrument, a pencil 20 with a graphite tip 21 being shown as the scribing instrument for illustrative purposes. The bar 18 is also characterized in that it is preferably provided with arcuate or rounded ends 22 of a radius substantially equal to the radius of arcuate or rounded corners 23 provided in the window opening 11. Thus, the bar 18 may be easily pivoted about any of the four corners of the window 11 because of the closely similar radii of the bar ends 22 and the window corners 23.

In operation, and as illustrated in FIGS. 3-7, the bar 18 can be manipulated with the pencil 20 so as to provide a design configuration on paper 15 between the frame 10 and base plate 12 as illustrated by solid lines in FIG. 2. The dashed lines of FIG. 2 illustrate additional designs that can be formed when holes 19 other than the outermost holes 24, 28 of the bar 18 are used. To commence drawing the design illustrated by solid lines in FIG. 2 the bar 18 is placed flush against the top side 25 of the window 11 and the pencil tip 21 is inserted into hole 24. The bar 18 is then pivoted about the upper left-hand corner of the window opening 11 so that the stylus 21 follows the arrowed line of FIG. 3 to provide the solid line 27 illustrated in FIG. 4. When the bar 18 reaches the end of the arrowed line illustrated in FIG. 3, the bar is flush against the left-hand side 26 of the window 11. At this point the stylus 21 is removed from the hole 24 and is reinserted into hole 28 symmetrically positioned at the other end of the bar from hole 24, see FIG. 4. The bar 18 is now pivoted in the same manner, but this time the pivot point is in the lower left-hand corner of the window opening 11, to provide a second solid line 29 in combination with the first 27 as illustrated in FIG. 5. When the second solid line 29 has been completed the bar 18 rests flush against the bottom 31 of the Window 11. The stylus 21 is now removed back to the hole 24. Subsequently, the bar 18 is again pivoted, but this time it is pivoted about the lower right-hand corner of the window opening 11, to provide the solid line 32. The bar 18 is now flush against right-hand side 35 of the window 11. As shown in FIG. 7 the stylus 21 is once again removed to hole 28 and thereafter the bar 18 is pivoted about the upper right-hand corner of the window opening 11 back to its starting position shown in FIG. 3, thereby drawing line 34. By repeating the operational sequence, as described immediately above, with different pairs of holes 19 symmetricaily positioned along the bars length, a series of interrelated designs may be established as is illustrated in phantom lines of FIG. 2.

The frame 10 and the base plate 12 may be made of any desirable material that permits efiicient and economical fabrication. Typically, such materials include thermoplastics and the plastics used may be colored if desired. The frame 10 and base plate 12 may be transparent, translucent, or opaque, as desired, but they will preferably be opaque. The bar 18 may also be made from any material that permits efficient and economical manufacture, however, typically such materials will also include thermoplastics. It is highly preferred that the bar 18 be transparent so that, as the lines 27, 29, 32, 34 are being traced on the paper 15 underneath the window 11, the child or other user may readily observe such tracings in their entirety. This for the reason that in making certain designs it may not be desired to trace from corner 23 to corner 23, as described, but it may be desirable to stop at some point intermediate the corners to provide different and varying designs. Although it is desired that the bar 18 be formed of a transparent material, the bar may be tinted with a color so as to present a more pleasing appearance for the device.

Having described the preferred embodiment of my invention, what I desire to claim and protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A design drawing device comprising, in combination,

a frame defining a window in the form of a square,

said window having four straight sides,

a bar with straight sides having a length substantially equal to the length of one of the sides of said window, said bar being pivotable from one corner to another corner along the straight sides of said window and within said window opening, and said corners cooperating with the ends of said bar to provide turning points of pivotal movement,

a design receiving surface adopted to be positioned beneath said window,

structure defining at least two holes along said bars length for accommodating a scribing instrument, said scribing instrument being operably positioned in a selected hole to permit pivoting of said bar from one corner to another within said window and to establish a design on said design receiving surface, and

a base hingedly connected to one edge of said frame,

said base being adapted to support said design receiving surface as a design is drawn thereon.

2. A design drawing device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said holes are symmetrically positioned along the length of said bar.

3. A design drawing device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ends of said bar are rounded and wherein the corners of said window are rounded to facilitate pivoting of said bar from corner to corner, the radii of said window corners and said bar ends being substantially equal.

4. A design drawing device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bar is substantially transparent so that the design is completely visible during the pivotal movement of said bar about the periphery of said window as the design is being created.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,633 9/1932 Hoferer 3327 3,061,946 11/1962 Carty 35-46 3,378,927 4/1968 Lowery 33-26 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,409,907 7/1965 France.

HARLAND S. SKOGQUIST, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 35-26 

